PLEASE NOTE: The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed on BaltimoreRavens.com represent those of individual authors, and unless quoted or clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of the Baltimore Ravens' organization, front office staff, coaches and executives. Authors' views are formulated independently from any inside knowledge and/or conversations with Ravens officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.

Flacco No. 90 Ranking Too Low?

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was ranked No. 90 in The NFL Network’s ranking of the top 100 active players in the league, a list determined by current players.

The Baltimore Sun’s Jamison Hensley asked if Flacco’s standing was an honor or swipe.

Considering the fact that anyone who makes the Top 100 is in the elite 6 percent of all current players, it’s hard to take any spot on this list as a swipe.

However, that doesn’t mean Flacco was appropriately valued.

NFL Top 100 Promo: Joe FlaccoRight Click for Full Screen Option

“Joe Flacco is at 90. There has got to be something wrong with that,” wrote Adam Schilling on the NFL Network’s Facebook page. “He is at least top 50.”

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger believes the top 50 would be a legitimate ranking for Flacco if you consider quarterback the most important position on the team.

“Let’s just put the quarterback in perspective” said Baldinger. “We know how important that figure is. Once you get that solidified, you can build a team around that. And so if you’re saying it’s the most important guy on your team, then I would say that [Flacco] is the top 50.

“If he’s one of the top 12 [quarterbacks], and the quarterback is the most important figure, he’s proven that he can do it with an upside to him, I’d say he’s a legitimate top 50.”

Probably more so than any other position, quarterback success is judged by postseason play and Flacco is still working to overcome the AFC Championship hump.

“You’re only thought about as a great quarterback when you win Super Bowls,” Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome told BaltimoreRavens.com last month. “And I think Joe understands that. So if Joe gets the opportunity to get back into the playoffs, gets to the AFC Championship game, wins a Super Bowl, then you can start talking about him as one of the greats to play the game.”

“Flacco has had more long-term success than Freeman,” writes Hensley, who notes that Flacco has taken his team to the playoffs in all three years as a starter. “Freeman has yet to guide the Buccaneers to the postseason.”

“Yes, Ravens fans might be biased on this topic. But it would be interesting to see how many would take Freeman over Flacco.”

King: Rex Ryan Feels ‘Chippy’ Toward Ravens

Sports Illustrated scribe Peter King says former Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan will never get over being passed by for the team’s head coaching position after Brian Billick was let go.

Ryan outlined in his book the reason he thinks Owner Steve Bisciotti passed him by. Ryan told Bisciotti that he felt Billick lost the locker room, and Ryan thinks that comment may have been perceived as a “disloyal act.”

Wrote King: “[Ryan] says many nice things about the Ravens in the book, and has said many of them to me over the years too. But he also said to me Friday: ‘Coaching in Baltimore 10 years and then not getting the job, that’s a thing that drives me. As much as I respect the people in the Ravens’ organization, they never thought I could do the job, and that’s a major chip on my shoulder.’”

“The main thing is I want to get it over with and figure out what they’re going to do,” Kindle told the Times earlier this spring. “I don’t know how the Maryland law works, but I want to get it behind me and not have to worry about it anymore.”

Once Kindle is able to move on from the incident, which could be reviewed by the NFL once the lockout is lifted, he can continue to solely focus on rehabilitating the fractured skull he sustained by falling down two flights of stairs before his rookie year began.

Newsome is ‘very optimistic’ Kindle will be able to play again.

“Sergio has made a lot of progress from the time he fell down the stairs,” Newsome said during a conference call with season ticket holders. “Right now, it’s still in medical hands. We are very optimistic that there may be an opportunity for him to get back on the field.”

Schefter: It’d Be ‘A Mistake’ To Dismiss Asomugha Going To Baltimore

For the third time since the draft (that I’ve counted), ESPN’s Adam Schefter named Baltimore as a possible landing destination for Oakland’s star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the NFL’s pending top free-agent prize.

Schefter said every single team in the league would want Asomugha, but added that Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington top his list of realistic destinations.

“There are other teams that could make a play for Asomugha, and my sense is, it would be a mistake to dismiss the Ravens, Jets, Texans and maybe even the Buccaneers. But the three NFC East teams seem like they will be the teams to watch – and beat for Asomugha’s services.”

Cole, Florio Propose Draft Trade Rule Changes

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports proposed an NFL rule change be implemented in light of the Ravens-Bears trade snafu in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo admitted to making a mistake, but an unnamed NFC team exec said there’s too much at risk to let it end there.

“Again, this is a high-pressure situation. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, no harm, no foul,’” the executive told Cole. “That could be my job on the line.”

Thus, Cole points out an obvious fix would be to change the rules to prevent a mistake from happening in the future.

“One solution to the problem could be that the deadline to report trades might need to be 30 seconds before the actual deadline to make a pick,” wrote Cole. “That would allow a team a chance to make a pick even if the proposed deal fell through.”

ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio agrees, but thinks there should be a 60-second warning instead of 30.

“How about a one-minute warning, at which point the team on the clock is told that there’s no deal and that the team on the clock must use the pick or risk being leapfrogged?” asked Florio. “That way, the league would never have to punish a team for failing to call in the trade, and no team on the clock would ever have to assume that the call was made only to find out later that it wasn’t.”

Quick Hits

Looking into the draft rear-view mirror, Nate Davis gives the Ravens an A for its 2008 draft, which included the picks of Flacco and running back Ray Rice. The only team to receive a higher grade (A+) was the Atlanta Falcons who nabbed quarterback Matt Ryan and left tackle Sam Baker. [USA Today]

A Steelers fan asked Jon Clayton if Jimmy Smith will be the player that puts the Ravens over the top, saying, “I by no means am saying that the Ravens are the better squad, but those highlights of Smith leading up to the draft were scary. With Ray Lewis to help keep his off-the-field issues in check, I see nothing but sleepless nights for OCs in the AFC North.” [ESPN]